Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Gandhi Jayanti observed at Raj Bhavan Maharashtra
On the occasion of the 150th year of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, a cultural program, "Bhavanjali"  was organized at Raj Bhavan Maharashtra to pay tributes to the father of the nation. Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao was the Chief Guest, while Gandhian and nonagenarian Shri Justice C. S. Dharmadhikari and Dr. Usha Thakkar, President, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Mumbai were the Guests of Honour. The soulful rendition of Bhajans, based on the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi, was organized by Regional Outreach Bureau  Pune, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
A poster exhibition "Mahatma on Celluloid", featuring Gandhiji’s photographs and films based on him was also put up at the venue, by National Film Archives of India. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Governor.
Two books “Gandhi in Champaran” and “Lamps of India” were presented to the Chief Guest and Guests of Honour by Director General , Ministry of I&B, Shri R. N. Mishra and Director, ROB Pune, Shri Santosh Ajmera.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor spoke of the relevance of Gandhiji’s values in the current age. He said that Swachh Bharat Mission and Make in India were launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on this day four years ago, in line with the dream of Gandhiji for a Clean India, and in line with his principle of self-reliance. Shri Rao said that self-reliance has a strong relation to the pursuit of truth as well. Stating that India lives in its villages, the Governor said that we need to work towards developing our villages and in making them more powerful, by implementing the provisions of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, enabling villages to rule themselves.
Renowned Gandhian scholar Justice Dharmadhikari explained that it is necessary to value and respect labour and manual work, in order to encourage and sustain livelihoods. He called upon the audience to pledge to wear Khadi so as to promote and assist handloom weavers. He exhorted everyone to use or buy at least two costumes of Khadi in a year. He noted that Charkha symbolized constructive and sustainable model of development.
Speaking about the importance of Swachh Bharat and the importance of the broom, the Justice said that it symbolizes progress from Antyodaya to Sarvodaya, and that it was not only about physical cleanliness but also about purity of mind. He said the broom is a powerful instrument to cleanse one of impure thoughts such as that of casteism, and to enable one to treat all with mutual respect and harmonious coexistence. He said that beyond political independence, Gandhiji envisioned Swarajya or Good Governance. Paying his humble tributes to the Mahatma, the Justice said that all of us need to strive for this goal.
In her address, Dr. Usha Thakkar noted that Gandhiji dared to think and act differently. Explaining about the unique power and eternal freshness of Gandhiji’s thoughts and ideals, she said that Gandhiji’s life was a journey from truth to truth: for him, truth was the end and non violence the means. He noted that Gandhiji believed that the one who is committed to truth cannot be committed to anything else. She recalled that the United Nations has accepted the importance of Gandhiji’s legacy and has declared October 2 as International Day of Nonviolence. She said that Gandhiji believed that human development has to moral above all, and that democracy is the rule of unadulterated nonviolence. She said the life and work of Gandhiji inspires us to ask new powerful questions about various social and civic issues, such as exploitation, oppression and explore answers to them on our own.